The Generation X guidewire grinding system has been one our most popular systems ever developed and sold worldwide. With over 125 units shipped, it is established as a highly capable production wire grinding system, grinding part to part wires to under 15 seconds. In this particular case study, the machine runs fully unattended 24 hours per day. This system is available for all budgets, it is not a one machine fits all system. All machine budgets are considered with the Generation X system.

The Generation 3X is based on a basic three axis principle of a diameter controlled axis, a linear controlled axis and a rotational controlled axis. The .1 micron resolution of the diameter and linear axis produce tolerances to under a micron diameter and under .001” (.025mm) on lengths of your wire grind.

The basic GX systems can grind all types of wires, conventional and exotic. You have two modes of grinding, centerless and bushing. Centerless mode uses a 1.5 (38mm) or 3” (76mm) wide wheel to produce conventional taper shaped wired. Bushing mode sculpts the intricately shaped wires with exotic features. Paddle wires can be ground in centerless mode for faster cycle times

The Generation X series of machines can grow up to 8 axis of motion. This is unmatched in the guidewire grinding world. With the addition of the “4th axis” exotic wires cycle times can be cut in 1/3. In multiple case studies and machines sold, companies have been using this system to take cycle times from 15 minutes per wire on competitors’ machines, to less than 5 minutes using the 4th axis system.

In 2016 we redesigned and simplified our feeder which made it more robust. With this redesign we have made loading and unloading of wires a strength of our systems. You have many options of automatic loading and unloading:

• Inline loading: This is a direct input of the wire to the collet assembly. It is mainly used when you are starting with a long length of wire (up to 5m) and you are m for example, a 5m long wire can produce about 24 short wires 200mm long. With a grind of 150mm, cycle time is less than 15 seconds part to part.
• Retract unload: For Applications that are longer like PTCA wires, the feeder will load the wire, and when it is finished, the wire will retract from the same input side.
• Spool feeding wires: We can load NiTi off a spool or Fort Wayne SLT. It can be loaded directly into the collet and cut. Short lengths of wires can be ground and unloaded out the exit side of the machine.

Since its introduction we have learned that with the wire grinding systems, one configuration does not fill all requirements. Some customers that are new to the wire grinding arena prefer a simple system that they can grow into. Other customers prefer fully automated systems that are capable of running 24 hours a day, and in many cases fully unattended for hours at a time.